1. Field of the Invention
The present embodiments relate to a foamed stone article and a method for preparing the same. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to a foamed stone article having light weight and good workability achieved by foaming acrylic resin during a curing process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Artificial stone may classified into two groups according to the base resin material, where one group represents acrylic artificial stone, and the other group represents unsaturated polyester artificial stone. The acrylic artificial stone has found wide utilization as a material for, e.g., kitchen countertops, wash basins, dressing tables, bathtubs, various table surfaces, wall materials, interior articles, etc., because it has excellent appearance, high-gloss texture, and good weatherability, when compared with the unsaturated polyester artificial stone.
Acrylic artificial stone may be prepared by injection molding a resin mixture, and then curing the injection molded resin mixture. The resin mixture may be prepared by adding, e.g., inorganic fillers, pigments, curing agents, and other additives such as polymerization initiators, releasing agents, dispersal agents, etc., to a liquid resin of, e.g., methyl methacrylate (MMA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc.
Commercial artificial stones may typically have a thickness of about 13 mm. Although artificial stone may be superior to natural stone due to its light weight and workability, artificial stone may still be heavier and more expensive than plywood, so a combined panel in which a thin, e.g., about 3 mm thick, plywood panel may be attached to the surface of an artificial stone panel may find commercial applications.
However, this plywood-composite artificial stone may require high labor costs and may have poor durability, and the range of applications may be limited due to a bonding agent applied thereto.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.